Researchers awarded Heart Foundation grants to tackle heart disease from birth to stroke recovery
Two researchers from the School of Clinical Sciences (SCS) at Monash Health have been awarded competitive Heart Foundation grants for 2025, joining nine Monash University recipients recognised nationally for their innovative approaches to reducing the burden of heart disease, Australia’s leading cause of death.
Across Australia, the Heart Foundation has announced 67 new projects, with more than $1.28 million awarded to Monash-led studies spanning clinical, translational and early-career research.
Vanguard Grant: Graeme Polglase
Professor Graeme Polglase, Department of Paediatrics, Monash Health, received a Heart Foundation Vanguard Grant for his project Optimising vasopressor therapy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of asphyxiated newborns. The Vanguard program supports early-stage, high-risk, high-reward ideas in clinical and biomedical research that could lead to significant advances in cardiovascular care.
An internationally recognised physiologist and head of the Perinatal Transition Research Group within The Ritchie Centre (a joint initiative of Monash University and the Hudson Institute of Medical Research), Professor Polglase is a leading authority on the role of pulmonary, cardiovascular and cerebral circulation in organ inflammation and injury in preterm and compromised infants.
His new project will examine how optimising vasopressor therapy, which raises blood pressure during resuscitation, could enhance circulation and reduce organ injury in asphyxiated newborns. The research has the potential to inform clinical protocols and improve outcomes for some of the tiniest and most vulnerable patients.
Collaboration and Exchange Grant: Connie Wong
Professor Connie Wong, Head of the Neuroinflammation Laboratory and Deputy Director of the Centre for Inflammatory Disease at Monash Health, was awarded a Heart Foundation Collaboration and Exchange Grant to strengthen international ties in the field of thrombosis, stroke and inflammation.
The grant will support her attendance at the 2026 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Congress and a laboratory visit to the Università di Bologna, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange to advance understanding of stroke-related inflammation and recovery.
Heart disease remains a major health challenge in Australia, responsible for one in four deaths each year. For more than 60 years, the Heart Foundation has invested over half a billion dollars in cardiovascular research, enabling discoveries that continue to improve and save lives.